September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. As a crisis intervention agency, Distress Centre works every day to prevent suicides and decrease the stigma that surrounds the topic of suicide and mental health. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, reach out to us for 24 hour support: Phone or text: 403-266-HELP (4357) Chat online:...
Guest Author: Lisa Wilder My name is Lisa, and I started my journey with Distress Centre Calgary in mid-September as an online services volunteer. I have what I call a “wondering mind.” Although this can take me off on all sorts of tangents, it should not be confused with a “wandering mind.” It is much different....
Content Warning: mention of suicide Ahsan has been volunteering with Distress Centre and our ConnecTeen youth program since 2015 but he still remembers the call that changed the way he handles crisis calls. Ahsan answered a call from someone who told him they were having thoughts of suicide, they had a plan to attempt suicide and they...
Forever 41 Memorial Ride takes place on August 7th, 2022 Header Image: Patricia Patricia Dawn was always a helper. She was born in Kamloops, BC and lived all over the Lower Mainland. She held two degrees, one in psychology and the other in nursing and spent most of her adult life in nursing roles, including a nine...
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY: We've decided to open up a few spots in the Condensed Crisis Line Responder Program. The Condensed Crisis Line Responder Program is a unique edition of our regular Crisis Line Volunteer commitment. This position is ideal for those who want to rapidly gain personal and professional experience, but are unable to commit for a...
On Wednesday, May 11th, we were pleased to unveil our new 2022-2025 Strategic Plan at our Annual General Meeting. The plan has been developed on the underlying themes of strengthening, adapting and transforming our people, programs and the broader system in which we operate for a stronger crisis and navigation hub that connects empowers people...
Meet Adrian: Canada Suicide Prevention Service Training and Recruitment Coordinator at Distress Centre. Canada Suicide Prevention Service (CSPS) is a national network of existing distress, crisis and suicide prevention line services. Distress Centre Calgary is part of that network and volunteers and staff answer calls and texts from people across Canada in need of support. Adrian...
For anyone thinking of volunteering with Distress Centre, Anika has this advice: “Go for it!” And: “It’s not as scary as you think.” When a call, chat or text is received by Distress Centre or ConnecTeen, DC’s youth crisis support service, it’s true that the volunteer doesn’t know what the subject will be and that can feel...
We’ve launched a Virtual Escape Room for youth! The pandemic has made it more difficult to reach youth and inform them about ConnecTeen, our youth program. We’ve launched this Virtual Escape Room to educate youth about ConnecTeen, and provide mental health and crisis intervention resources in a fun, interactive way. There are two rooms currently available...
2021 was another challenging but exciting year for Distress Centre Calgary. Though we faced, and continue to contend with, the difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we also experienced growth, transformation and were able to celebrate some substantial achievements. As we move forward into a new year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect...
